How I Spent 10 Days in Greece: Athens, Sifnos + Milos (2026)

Are you planning a 10-day Greece itinerary and looking for some recommendations on which islands to visit, how to get around, where to stay, and what to do? Take a peek at how I spent 10 unforgettable days in Greece, exploring the vibrant capital city of Athens, the underrated island of Sifnos, and the very unique island of Milos.

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Every time I visit Greece, I’m reminded of how incredible this country is with its stunning beaches, sparkling turquoise waters, mouthwatering food, welcoming locals, amazing culture, unique islands, and cool historical sites and attractions…

And my recent 10-day Greece trip was no different.

Featuring Athens and two new islands I’d never been to—Sifnos and Milos—it was a trip filled with beautiful boat trips, windmills, breathtaking views, cold Mythos beers, local flavors, and lots and lots of beach hopping and soaking up the sun.

One word to describe it? Unforgettable.

Here are all the details regarding my 10 days in Greece, including what I got up to, where I ate, the best things I did, how I got from island to island, and more.

10 DAYS IN GREECE: ATHENS, SIFNOS + MILOS

Athens: 3 nights

This was my fifth visit to Athens, so I was already pretty familiar with the city and everything it had to offer. However, I was visiting with my mom and another friend on their first visit, so we still ended up going to all the main tourist attractions!

Athens is one of my favorite cities in the entire world, and I’m also a history lover, so I was not upset about this! With that said, with two full days in Athens, here’s what we did, what we saw, and where we ate.

(If you only have a short time in the capital, here’s my guide on how to spend one day in Athens!)

Ancient Greek Temples + Ruins

There are SO many fascinating Greek temples and ancient ruins dotted around Athens—far too many to see with only a couple days in the city. That’s why we focused on the main ones:

• Acropolis + Parthenon
• Temple of Olympian Zeus
• Roman Forum of Athens (Roman Agora)
• Ancient Agora + Temple of Hephaestus
• Hadrian’s Library

For more information on what ancient Greek ruins to visit in Athens, click here and check out my guide!

Acropolis Museum

I think this is one of the best things to do in Athens! The Acropolis Museum holds so many Greek artifacts and historical treasures and gives so much background on the temples and ruins you will see around the city.

Plaka, Psyri + Monastiraki Neighborhoods

These are the three main neighborhoods that surround the Acropolis, and each has its own unique characteristics.

• Plaka: The oldest section of Athens with narrow cobblestone streets lined and lots of little shops selling jewelry, clothes, and local ceramics. It’s often busy with tourists but it’s still very cool.
• Psyri: This feels very much like an up and coming neighborhood in Athens, with trendy restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. I love the vibes around here.
• Monastiraki: Vibrant, historic, and bustling, and renowned for its daily flea market, eclectic shops, and great views of the Acropolis (especially at night from the rooftop bars).

Syntagma Square + Changing of the Guard Ceremony

This is a very fun thing to do in Athens, as the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Syntagma Square is unique and like no other changing of the guard found elsewhere.

Wearing very traditional and unique uniforms, the Elite Presidential Guards (Evzones) perform slow, precise, and symbolic movements to honor fallen soldiers.

This is a free event to watch and it happens every hour on the hour.

However, on Sundays at 11 AM, you can watch the “Grand Change,” which is far more elaborate with music, additional military personnel, and “official” uniforms. It’s very cool to watch!

National Gardens of Athens

To get away from the scorching sun, we walked through and relaxed in the National Gardens of Athens. This is a great place to find some peace and quiet, and just immerse yourself in some greenery.

Plus, there’s tortoises, turtles, ducks, birds, and other wildlife meandering around the park! It’s lovely.

Looking for more activities, attractions, and places to visit? Take a look at my blog on 13 fantastic things to do in Athens, Greece.

Where We Stayed in Athens

There were three of us, so we chose to stay in a central apartment located in Psyri. It was really close to everything—tons of restaurants just minutes away and a short 15-minute walk to the South Entrance of the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum.

The apartment was called Arcade Project Hi-End Apartments. Though the layout was a tad bit weird, it was modern, comfortable, and located in a great spot.

Where We Ate in Athens

The food scene in Athens is SO good! As a vegan, I feel so looked after and spoiled in this great city. There are an insane amount of 100% vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants!

Here are some of the best places we ate at that are all vegan-friendly:

• Vegan Beat — the most delicious vegan gyros you’ll have in Athens
• Klepsydra — fantastic Greek food, breathtaking views of the city at night, and a really magical atmosphere
• El Greco — affordable and delicious Greek food; fantastic spreads (hummus, tzaziki, melitzanosalata)
• Dao Vietnamese Cuisine — awesome Vietnamese food; highly recommend the tofu banh mi and fresh summer rolls
• Holy Llama — fully vegan bakery and cafe; delicious croissants and breakfast items
• Moma — really delicious vegan moussaka! And beautiful views of the Stoa of Attalos

Athens → Sifnos

Getting from Athens to Sifnos is very easy via ferry. There are often multiple ferries that connect these two destinations; we took one of the earlier ferries at 9 AM with Seajets, departing from Piraeus Port.

Seajets are really fast (and very chaotic getting on and off, by the way, so be prepared for that). The Piraeus–Sifnos journey only took around 2.5 hours but you need to get to the ferry port at least a half hour beforehand.

Also, getting from Athens city center to Piraeus is also easy, especially if you’re staying near one of the main metro stations. We were just a short walk from Monastiraki station so we hopped on the M1 train for a short 15-minute ride to Piraeus.

Top tip: Use Ferryhopper to book your ferries in Greece! I almost exclusively use this platform to book any and all boat trips, as they show multiple ferry providers and you can book multi-day ferries.

For instance, for this 10-day Greece trip, I selected “multi-destination” and put in Piraeus → Sifnos → Milos → Piraeus. Then chose my preferred ferries and paid for every journey in one big chunk. Easy peasy!

Sifnos: 3 nights

Sifnos is a gorgeous island! While it’s not very big and you can basically drive across the entirety of it in under a half hour, it has many fabulous attractions, beaches, and things to do.

Plus, it’s pretty mountainous, so the landscapes and scenery are breathtaking. Simply driving around Sifnos was a highlight of our trip! With that in mind…

Renting a Car on Sifnos

I highly recommend renting a car on Sifnos! Though it’s not essential, as there is a public bus that cruises around the island, a car makes it way more convenient to get around and explore at your own pace.

Also, I have to say, as someone who is very intimidated by driving in other countries (not to mention, I can only drive an automatic), driving around Sifnos was really easy.

With our rental car—which was very cheap at only €36/day and came with a free additional driver thanks to DiscoverCars—we visited several other villages, little-known beaches, and must-visit tourist attractions. More on those below!

(Again, the rental car was booked through DiscoverCars—highly recommend!)

Exploring the Villages of Sifnos

Sifnos is dotted with many picturesque villages. Our favorites were:

• Apollonia — the main village on Sifnos with picturesque alleyways and countless local shops and restaurants
• Kastro — hilltop village with insanely beautiful views
• Cheronissos — quaint, traditional seaside village with great seafood and a great beach
• Faros — very cute with just a handful of tavernas perched right next to the sea

Beach Hopping and Sun Soaking

Our time on Sifnos was mostly spent beach hopping and soaking up the sun around the island—it was perfect! The beaches around Sifnos are stunning, with many being sheltered from the insane winds that torment the Cyclades islands.

Here were some of our favorites:

• Vroulidia (pictured below)
• Fassoulu
• Platis Gialos
• Cheronissos

Church of the Seven Martyrs

One of the top places to visit on Sifnos is the Church of Seven Martyrs. Perched on a small peninsula jutting out into the sea, the church stands out against the blue background of the sea. It’s gorgeous, and one of the most photographed spots on the island!

Chrisopigi Monastery

Another top thing to do on Sifnos is visit Chrisopigi Monastery, another beautiful church situated along the rocky coastline, surrounded by sparkling turquoise waters. It’s stunning, especially at sunset.

Sifnos Restaurants + Bars

Listen up, food lovers! Sifnos has some fantastic local dishes and restaurants that are well worth visiting the island for.

Revithada, in particular, is the dish of Sifnos.

It’s a slow-cooked chickpea stew made in traditional clay pots and cooked overnight in wood-fired ovens. It’s DELISH! And perfect for vegan and vegetarian travelers visiting Sifnos.

Some of the best places we ate on Sifnos were:

Where We Stayed on Sifnos

We stayed at the glorious Grand View hotel in Kamares. It’s on the other side of the bay (opposite the port), so it gives insanely beautiful views of the whitewashed buildings and mountains surrounding the bay.

Click here to check out Grand View hotel.

Hey! Did you know that I have a far more in-depth guide to the Greek island of Sifnos? It covers all the best beaches, places to stay, villages, tavernas and more. Read it here!

Sifnos → Milos

Another really easy ferry journey that only takes around one hour on the fastest ferry. Again, I recommend booking your Sifnos–Milos ferry with Ferryhopper.

And another reminder: the process of boarding the ferry and getting off is CHAOS! Expect nothing else but know that it’ll all be fine, even if it feels like nothing is organized or going right.

Milos: 3 nights

The next destination on our 10-day Greece trip was the very unique island of Milos! This is a very hot Greek island at the moment, with the number of visitors growing every year. And after visiting myself, I can really understand why.

Milos is like no other island I’ve been to before—and I’ve been to twelve! The scenery and views are so interesting, with its almost other planet-like landscapes.

Plus, the fishing villages dotted around the coast are so colorful and picturesque. Nothing like the traditional whitewashed villages you see on other Cyclades islands (though it has those, too!).

But what really made our trip special on Milos was the fact that we stayed in a WINDMILL! It was so incredibly cool.

Staying in a Traditional Greek Windmill on Milos

Let me formally introduce one of the coolest accommodations I’ve ever stayed in: Milos Vaos Windmill.

Located near Plaka Village, the capital town of Milos, the windmill is perched high on a hill and has insane views of the surrounding sea, hills, islands, and churches.

The sunsets and sunrises here were unreal. I’ll never forget them.

Though the setup is kind of inconvenient—the shower, toilet, and kitchen are in a separate building from windmill, which has the bedrooms—it was still very cool.

The little courtyard that connected the two buildings was so quiet and peaceful. The perfect place to admire the views with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening.

Out of all the places we stayed on our 10-day Greece trip, this has to be the most unique. We spent a lot of our time on Milos here, relaxing in the courtyard, reading a good book, soaking up the sun in the little lounge chairs, and just taking in the 360° views.

Click here to check out Milos Vaos Windmill.

Getting Around Milos

Unlike Sifnos, we chose to not rent a car for Milos. And I kind of regret that.

Milos is definitely busier than Sifnos and the driving would have been more stressful, but it would have been way more convenient.

Instead of renting a car, we got around via the public bus. This was very easy to navigate and use—Milos is very well connected by bus—but having a car would have just been easier.

If you want to rent a car on Milos, browse your options on DiscoverCars.

Full-Day Milos Boat Trip to Poliegos, Tsigrado Beach and Kleftiko

Because the beaches, islands, and coastlines around Milos are so unique, the main thing we did on Milos was a full-day boat trip. This tour was about 8 hours long—9 AM to 5 PM—but it was well worth it.

We visited some of the top places to visit on Milos, including the Blue Bay on Poliegos (a neighboring Greek island), Tsigrado Beach (the one with the really scary ladder going down to the water), and Kleftiko (also known as pirates’ bay).

The tour also included breakfast, lunch, snacks, and unlimited drinks (including Greek beer—hell yeah!).

My only complaint about this tour was that the wind was SO bad that we didn’t get to visit all of the spots on the original itinerary. We were also supposed to be on a different boat (they offer two daily tours), but they put us all on one.

However, that’s not their fault—they can’t control the weather! It was still a really fantastic experience in the end.

Our boat trip was with Trinity Yachting. Click here to check out their Milos boat trips.

Colorful Fishing Village of Klima

This is one of the top places to visit on Milos, and I can see why! We walked down from Trypiti (where our windmill was located) to explore Klima and while it was a pretty strenuous walk, it was definitely worth it.

Nestled along the shore with colorful garages, waves crashing against the concrete walkways, and boats bobbing in the blue waters, Klima is a teeny tiny historic fishing village that is unbelievably picturesque.

Likely one of the prettiest places to visit on Milos, Klima is definitely worth adding to your itinerary.

However, know that a car is very convenient when visiting Klima (as said above). Though we walked down, we actually hitched a ride with a restaurant worker back up. Lol.

Of course we paid the generous lad—who was just getting off his shift at the restaurant—but that’s the reality of walking down to Klima. The road getting down here is STEEP. And very hard to get back up, especially if you’re not in tip-top shape.

Plaka: The Whitewashed Capital of Milos

One of the last things we did on Milos was visit its capital, Plaka.

Perched on a rocky hill overlooking the Aegean Sea, Plaka is what everyone imagines when they think of a Greek village…

Stony walkways weaving through whitewashed buildings…

Colorful bougainvillea crawling up the walls…

Lots of local boutiques and shops lining the streets…

And countless tavernas, with tables and chairs spilling out into the walkways.

Plaka also has a few unique attractions, including Plaka Castle (the Venetian Castle of Milos), the Archaeological Museum Milos, the War Museum, and Folk and Historical Museum of Milos. (Yes, lots of museums!)

However, one of the best things to do in Plaka is simply stroll through and get lost in its maze-like alleyways. Rumor has it, Plaka was designed this way to confuse pirates! But who knows, right?

Milos Restaurants + Bars

Since we were staying in a Milos windmill that had a full kitchen, we didn’t eat out a ton! We spent a lot of our time at the windmill, cooking our own meals, playing cards, and sipping wine from a local shop.

However, here are some places we did eat at that were delicious and vegan-friendly:

Milos → Athens

At around 3.5 hours, this was the longest ferry journey of our 10 days in Greece. We booked the speedy afternoon Milos–Piraeus Seajets ferry with Ferryhopper, departing at around 5:30 PM.

It was an easy ferry but it was delayed by about an hour, which means we didn’t get to Athens until way after 9 PM. This is a pretty common occurrence with Greek ferries, especially those going around the Cyclades islands. The winds can be atrocious, so ferries will often be delayed (or completely cancelled).

But the ferries are the easiest way to get around Greece—they’ve been my preferred choice of transportation for all of my island-hopping trips, including my two-week Greece trip and other one-week itineraries.

Click here to check out Ferryhopper.

Athens: 1 night

Since we had an early flight out of Athens, we spent the last night of our 10 days in Greece in the city. Thanks to our very late 9 PM arrival from Milos, we didn’t get up to much! Just headed to the apartment—called MONO Lofts in Psyri—and went to bed.

Taxi From Athens City Center to the Airport

The following morning, we jumped in a taxi and headed to the airport. If you’re taking a taxi in Athens, either to or from the airport, here are some key things I noticed…

You’ll find that everywhere online says that taxis are required to charge a fixed price (it depends on what time of the day you go but ranges from €40 in the daytime to €55 during odd hours). This is technically what they’re supposed to do… but taxi drivers tend to not follow this in my experience.

The two times I hailed a taxi to go to the airport—rather than booking through Uber—I was charged far more than the “fixed” price. Instead of what was supposed to be a €55 ride at 5 AM was €65.

(I get that it’s not that much of a difference, but it’s the principle of things. And it feels like they’re scamming me!)

This is why I highly recommend booking your Athens taxis through Uber. Almost all drivers on Uber are taxis anyways, yet you’re charged the correct amount through the app.

Just a little helpful tip for when you’re on your 10-day Greece trip!

All in all, this was a really exceptional Greece trip! I was so happy with everything we did and I feel like it was the perfect blend of cities, sightseeing, and beach hopping.

Plus, Sifnos and Milos are very different islands—Sifnos is a lot quieter with beautiful villages and beaches, while Milos is busier but has far more unique landscapes and things to do. Both are fantastic though!

If you’re planning a 10-day Greece trip and you have some questions, stick them in the comment section below! I’ll answer as best as I can.

Sophie xx

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